Quite a while ago I wrote an article on bird friendly coffee. In addition to being Fair Trade and organic, this coffee helps to reverse the terrible effects traditional coffee growing methods have had on migratory birds. Take a look at the article and see if you can make this small change to your coffee buying routine. The coffee is becoming more readily available all time. Fred Meyer is still the main big box grocery that carries it, but many smaller stores and food co-ops also have it.
Now we move from coffee beans to volley balls. Fair Trade Sports in Seattle is making what they call “Fair Trade, Eco-Friendly Sports Balls”. Not only is the company using only rubber from responsibly managed forests, it also requires fair wages and healthy working conditions for all workers in the manufacturing process. Take a look at their very interesting and unusual “rude” FAQ. One thing I found strange is that they do not sell any basketballs so I immediately sent them that question. Within a few minutes I had the answer. They just did start producing basketballs, but a supplier purchased the entire inventory! Another thing I question is the price of their balls. In a comment and answer on their blog they seem to say they will not pass the higher cost of manufacturing this way on to customers. However, their balls are indeed significantly more expensive than what I am used to paying at our local team sports supply business. I would think it would be easy to explain and justify the higher cost of their products rather than just claim they are price competitive.
Apparently this is a growing trend in sporting goods. That is a good thing, but the companies that are entering this market will have to compete on price if they are to achieve any market saturation at all. After a certain level of quality, price becomes the number one factor in consumer buying decisions.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
One easy term people can look for on labels when buying coffee is “shade grown”. I know you go into that in your earlier post but in case people skip that, I wanted to mention it here.
I first encountered bird friendly – shade grown – coffee at a store that sells bird feeders and bird seed in Marlton, NJ. I had stopped in to buy feed for my feeders and they had a small display by the register with a nice tutorial on how coffee can be produced with less impact on the land and wildlife. I’ve never gone back to mass produced coffee.
As far as the price of those balls, and to a large extent, fair trade products in general, they will never be able to bring their prices down to the level of what you see in a Modells or Walmart. I’d rather they keep their prices at a level that makes them profitable and sell a smaller number of units, as long as it keeps them selling them period.
To compete with prices offered by large scale retailers with their own very large and controlled supply chain is not possible without becoming more like them and I think thats the last thing we want.
I mean to say that not ALL shade grown coffee is raised i the best possible manner, but its better than the alternative.
Yes, you are correct, JD. Some coffee producers are really abusing the “shade grown” label. If it is labeled “bird friendly” with the Smithsonian label, that is what you should buy.
As JD noted, there is a lot more information in the original article I link to in the above post.
Good points, Will. But we’re finding that price is not necessarily the #1 factor in buying decisions after quality. As evidence, I would point to the rise of high-end companies like Whole Foods and Gaiam, who certainly do not sell based on price.
When we describe our certified Fair Trade sports balls as being price competitive, we always try to name the specific brand/model we are competing with…one that is at the same quality level as ours.
You and your readers are correct that we’ll likely never get our prices down to the level you find at your local team sports supply business or at your town’s big-box stores. But that’s not our goal.
Many of the sports balls found at those big box stores are not only from dubious sources in social justice terms of labor, but they also tend to be the lower quality balls made of PVC, rather than polyurethane (synthetic leather). Polyurethane, although far from perfect, is significantly less harsh on our producers and the environment.
As you described in your post, we now have the first eco-certified sports balls in North America as well. The latex air bladder inside every Fair Trade Sports ball now comes from our FSC-certified rubber tree forest in India (where the workers also receive a Fair Trade wage).
And good news! We’re making the basketball sku live on the website later today! Keep in mind, this is just a $20 training-quality street ball…not the $50 high-end ball you are likely used to playing with. But I am excited for the progress we are making to date!
Stop by our gear shop in a few hours and you should see the basketball live on the site. And for a sneak peek at it, check out this hilarious-yet-informative video from ViroPOP which features the basketball.
- Scott James
Founder, Fair Trade Sports
Blog: http://www.fairtradesports.com
Fair Trade basketballs!
Thanks for that, Scott! And I am glad to hear you are finding that, for your company, after quality, price is not always the first priority. Besides, with your company model, you are probably not competing with WalMart, etc. anyway.
That is a funny video and super publicity for FTS. That girl’s got a bright future!
-Will